Category: Main Dishes

10 Minute Lunches, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

10 Minute Lunch #4: Cinnamon Curry Tuna Wraps

Sarah

So, I was very, very brave on Wednesday. Perhaps you saw my tweet? I rarely, if ever, tweet, but I felt that my midday activities were worthy of such public notification.

It all started a few minutes before I was going to break for lunch. I’m fortunate enough to have a campus job I can do remotely [at home (!)], so I had been working hard all morning and happened to glance over at my phone as it lit up with a call from my dentist office. I hadn’t been since December, and already have my next appointment scheduled, so I thought it was odd. When I answered the call, I found out that the claim for the x-rays/checkup in December had been denied and that my insurance company claimed my coverage had been terminated.

Terminated? News to me.

After I told the nice lady from the dentist office that I knew I had coverage and thanked her for calling before sending me the $150 bill, I logged into my insurance account online to get some info and called Ben for instructions on what to say to the insurance company when I called [he works in insurance so he’s a pro at these things]. Then I took a deep breath, expecting the worst, and dialed the phone. Pretty much right away I talked to someone and found out that, imagine that, I do have dental insurance. Righto.

And I did on the date of my last appointment, too. Well looky there.

But apparently the claim had been mis-processed as a medical claim, not a dental claim, so that’s what the situation was. A few questions later, I was good to go, and called Ben and my dentist office back with the good news. 🙂

Then I skipped to the kitchen and whipped up this tasty tuna salad lunch in a jiffy, thanks to some inspired googling earlier in the day.

Like my insurance snafu that I went into expecting the worst and emerged happy in a matter of minutes, this tuna salad might seem risky from the exterior. However, I’m confident that one bite will turn your uneasiness into delight at this 10 Minute Lunch that makes a double portion–perfect for an extra filling lunch or lunch for two.

Fragrant curry powder pairs with sweet cinnamon, tangy mustard, and crunchy celery for a new take on boring tuna. You can take this wrap on the go, or enjoy it at home… perhaps even hot with cheese, if that’s your thing. It’s not mine–that would certainly not be the happy ending that my insurance claim situation and tuna wrap found, but if it’s yours… go for it! 🙂

How do you like your tuna?

Cinnamon Curry Tuna Wraps [inspired by Allrecipes.com]

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounce can tuna in water, drained
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
  • a third of a stalk of celery, chopped in small pieces
  • lemon pepper
  • dash ground cinnamon
  • smidgen curry powder [yes, smidgen is an actual measurement, but it’s just a small amount so don’t fret if you don’t have this measuring spoon
  • 2 tortillas, for serving
  • spinach, for serving

Non-directions:

  • Mix together all ingredients except spinach and tortillas, then adjust seasonings if necessary.
  • Layer spinach on top of each tortilla, then top each with half of the tuna salad.
  • Roll into a wrap and enjoy!

Time: 5 minutes.

Yield: 2 delicious lunches!

Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Sarah

So, almost immediately after pinning this awesome looking recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken, Tina commented on my pin with her rave reviews. I knew it looked good, but hearing how fabulous it was made it even more appealing. But what about this recipe made it so wonderful, when I hadn’t even tasted it?

Was it the combination of garlic and ginger? Honey and soy sauce? Toasted sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes? Or [gasp] even the ketchup and canola oil and onion?

I’m not sure. Does it even really matter, though? I’m not sure it does.

Simple ingredients come together to make something fantastic in this Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken. And the best part is that it only takes four hours to cook in the crock pot. [Side note: I despise calling a crock pot a “slow cooker.” It sounds so… ugh… to me. Hence the name change.]

Ben loves anything Asian-inspired, so you can be sure that this was a huge hit in our house. The flavors are just the right amount of sweetness and kick, but feel free to add more spice if that’s your thing. This is a must make, so if you’ve been thinking about it… go for it! Enjoy!

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken [adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff and Foodie with Family]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • black pepper
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • hot cooked rice, for serving
  • steamed broccoli, for serving
  • sesame seeds, for serving

Directions:

Season chicken thighs with black pepper and lay in bottom of crock pot.

In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, canola oil, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture over chicken thighs and flip chicken to coat. Cook on low for 4 hours, then remove chicken to a plate.

In a second bowl, combine cornstarch with water until dissolved. Then pour into liquid in crock pot, return chicken, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until thick.

Break up chicken with two forks, then serve over hot cooked rice with steamed broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, then enjoy.

10 Minute Lunches, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

10 Minute Lunch #3: Extraordinary Grilled Cheese

Sarah

Another 10 Minute Lunch for you! So, what makes this grilled cheese extraordinary? Let me give you a hint.

It starts with bacon.

and ends with avocado…

and has some bell pepper in there too.

Whoa.

ohmygoshiwantanothernow. Please?

So my inspiration for this quick Wednesday lunch was derived from all those fancy grilled cheeses and quesadillas and stuff that I’ve seen on Pinterest [follow me!] but never think to make. I didn’t want to take the time to look up recipes… so I just improvised. To make my Extraordinary Grilled Cheese, I paired flavorful white cheddar cheese with creamy avocado, crisp bacon, and sweet bell pepper strips and grilled it up on the stove real fast. A filling, fun lunchtime entree to brighten up a dreary day of graduate schoolwork. Works for me!

Sorry it’s not packable. Melted cheese never really is… sad day. But this is awesome [even if it’s not awesomeforyou], so you can enjoy it on days you will be home. Like tomorrow. Saturday=grilled cheese day. If that’s not a tradition, it should be.

And if you have more time, maybe add some caramelized onions or roast those bell peppers up. More depth of flavor is always welcome in my book. 🙂 But it’s also great as-is, and is a nice change up from your regular friend to tomato soup.

Hope you enjoy!

And in case you want some lunchtime reading, my husband, Ben, has recently started contributing to a video game blog. Check out his review of Assassin’s Creed Revelations here! [Not that I really know much anything about video games, but hey… maybe some food-lovers are also video game addicts too! :)]

Extraordinary Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices wheat bread
  • butter
  • white cheddar cheese
  • bell pepper slices
  • 2 slices bacon, cooked
  • avocado slices
  • freshly ground black pepper

Non-directions:

  • Heat skillet over medium heat.
  • Butter one side of each piece of bread.
  • Assemble sandwich, with butter side out, with cheese and peppers on one slice of bread and bacon, and avocado on the other [put avocado next to bread so bacon sticks].
  • Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over the avocado.
  • Cook in skillet, flipping after a few minutes, until both sides are golden brown and cheese melts.
  • Enjoy!

Time: 10 minutes or less.

Yield: 1 delicious lunch.

Black Bean Soup Like You Mean It - this black bean soup is the perfect blend of spices, lime, and garlic. Everyone will love it!
Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Black Bean Soup Like You Mean It

Sarah

So there are some black bean soups that are good. There are others that are bad. Really, really bad. Well, maybe “bad” is more a matter of opinion, but bad in terms of being so spicy, thick, or gloopy [or all of the above] that the soup, if you can even call it that, is basically an inedible paste of nastyness. Mmm. Appetizing to ponder on a Friday, huh? Yeahhh. Well good news here, folks!

Black Bean Soup Like You Mean It - this black bean soup is the perfect blend of spices, lime, and garlic. Everyone will love it!This isn’t just any old black bean soup. This is Black Bean Soup Like You Mean It.

And boy… do I mean it.

Thick–but not too pasty. Eww, pasty. Chunky–but with a good mix of broth and texture. Spicy–but not run gasping to the fridge for milk out of control spicy. Full of veggies like onion and tomatoes and even spinach [hello spinach… you hid from Ben until his bowl was gone and then when I told him about you he was unaware… like, completely]–but yes, not too full of veggies that you forget it’s black bean soup. The black beans are still there, and serve as the perfect backdrop to a rich, garlic-y flavor to contrast with the spice. Finish each bowl off with a squeeze of lime juice and you have yourself a wonderful winner of a soup that is absolutely perfect in every way.

Perfect. And not too perfect. Wait… is there even such a thing? If this is any indication, Ben and I polished off the entire pot of this in one night, during an episode of Mad Men. Normally we’re all about the leftovers here for lunches, but this time there was no chance of leftovers. Not a one. So I guess it’s imperfection is that there was not enough. Be forewarned–next time this is on our menu, it will be in double batch form. Cause this is slurp-worthy delicious!

Happy Friday!

Black Bean Soup Like You Mean It

  • Servings: 4
  • Print

from You Can Trust a Skinny Cook by Allison Fishman

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 3 1/2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained [from scratch or from 2 – 15 1/2 ounce cans], divided
  • 2 cups chicken broth, divided
  • 2 cups baby spinach, tightly packed
  • 10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis
  • cilantro, for serving
  • lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

In a medium pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for a minute more until fragrant. Stir in cumin and chili powder and cook for another 30 seconds. Meanwhile, stir in 2 1/2 cups of black beans and 1 cup chicken broth. In a food processor, puree remaining 1 cup black beans, 1 cup chicken broth, and spinach until smooth. Pour into the soup pot, then add tomatoes and stir well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

 

10 Minute Lunches, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

10 Minute Lunch #2: Avocado Egg Salad

Sarah

Judging my the comments and messages I’ve received regarding my first 10 Minute Lunch post about Fried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan Toast, it seems that there are lots of us who want quick, tasty, non-boring lunches. Some need packable lunches, others, not so much. My latest take on egg salad [and I just realized as I typed ‘egg’ that this is the second 10 Minute Lunch that features eggs… totally unintentional] is packable but of course can also be enjoyed at home. I was inspired to try Avocado Egg Salad by a post on We Are Not Martha, but was a) too lazy and rushed to look up the recipe as I was making my lunch right before I needed to leave and b) had a slight recollection that their recipe called for many more eggs than I had hard boiled the night before. So, alas–I just took the idea and ran with it.

Avocado Egg Salad is like regular egg salad… but it’s not. It’s creamier and smoother thanks to the avocado [duh] but still has a bit of tang from the mayo. I want to try it with Greek yogurt instead of mayo, but I didn’t have any plain on hand at the time. Unlike other egg salads, this one doesn’t incorporate tons of herbs or spices, just a sprinkling of lemon pepper for a little kick. It was a delicious new take on egg salad that rocked my Monday lunch. Hope you love it too!

In the spirit of full disclaimer, I must admit that this is not truly a “10 Minute Lunch” because it takes longer than 10 minutes to hard boil the eggs. But… simply prepare them the night before, as you’re eating breakfast, or getting ready, then pop them in the fridge. When lunchtime comes around, you’ll be good to go!

Avocado Egg Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices wheat bread, or crackers for serving
  • 2 hard boiled eggs
  • 1/6 of an avocado
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
  • lemon pepper
  • romaine lettuce

Non-directions:

  • Toast bread lightly in toaster, if desired.
  • Peel eggs and place them in a small bowl, then roughly chop them.
  • Add avocado and mayonnaise, then mash well with a fork.
  • Add a pinch of lemon pepper and stir to combine.
  • Top one slice of bread with lettuce, and load the other slice with egg salad, put together and enjoy!

Time: 10 minutes or less, not including time to hard boil eggs.

Yield: 1 delicious lunch.